The Mystics (18-11), enjoying with out Elena Delle Donne (scheduled night time off), acquired issues off to a good begin at College Park Center. The victory over the Wings (12-16) knotted them with Seattle, which misplaced at Connecticut, for fourth place within the league.
“It’s a big weekend, obviously,” Thibault stated. “Very little prep time for either team. . . . We played [the Storm] a month ago, and they haven’t changed a lot other than [adding former Mystic] Tina [Charles]. We haven’t faced them with her. . . . It’s kind of come out and just play.”
Point guard Natasha Cloud, one of the group’s extra vocal leaders, stated nothing wanted to be stated getting into this crucial stretch.
“Not a message,” she stated earlier than Thursday’s recreation. “We’re all just under the understanding that it’s one day at a time, one game at a time.
“We just need to control our destiny. That means being road warriors now and then looking forward to the weekend, being able to play a back-to-back and be productive and consistent within those two games as well. So we’re in the stretch now. … We’re 10 toes down with where we are in the present moment, not looking too much ahead because we can finish this season strong and move ourselves up in the rankings, too.”
The Mystics had performed essentially the most video games within the league getting into the All-Star Game this month, making the break much more necessary for his or her postseason push. The schedule was a huge purpose Thibault gave his group the additional relaxation.
“We love being around each other, but … we need some space, too,” Cloud stated with a snicker. “And just time to reset, be with our families and really just like sit down for a minute and be where our feet are. Because I think too often people forget that we’re constantly going. I literally go home, I spend one day with my dogs, and then I’m on the road again.”
Here’s what else to know in regards to the Mystics’ win:
Washington had one of its finest halves of the season, taking a 56-36 halftime lead. The Mystics by no means trailed after being down 4-2.
Myisha Hines-Allen moved into the beginning lineup in Delle Donne’s absence and opened the sport with a steal and a layup. A couple of minutes later, she crossed over her defender after which hit a three-pointer to place the Mystics up 11-6. Hines-Allen completed with 14 factors.
“That was my thing, try to be aggressive from the beginning,” Hines-Allen stated. “But for the most part, for us to start that run, [it] started on the defensive end. We were able to get our hands on things and just run out in transition, and then our bench came in and did the same exact things. That’s how we were able to just keep the whole momentum.”
The Wings made a fourth-quarter push to get inside 9, however Cloud (14 factors, seven assists) buried back-to-back jumpers to increase the result in 78-64. Five Mystics gamers completed in double figures, together with Ariel Atkins (14), Shakira Austin (12) and Alysha Clark (13).
The Mystics acquired a enormous elevate from their bench late within the first quarter, powering a 9-0 run to take a 28-14 lead. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough continued to play effectively, serving to the group’s lobbying effort for her because the league’s sixth lady of the yr. Tianna Hawkins, again within the rotation, got here out aggressive and completed with seven factors. The Mystics’ bench outscored the Wings’ 20-5.
“Just being ready,” Hawkins stated. “Before every game I tell the bench mobs to be ready when your name is called. … You’ve got a sub coming, so there’s no reason to leave anything else on the court.”
Thibault was named an assistant on the U.S. ladies’s nationwide group that can play on this yr’s FIBA World Cup. He is joined by Kara Lawson (Duke) and Joni Taylor (Texas A&M) beneath Coach Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx). Thibault has been concerned with USA Basketball, on and off with each the women and men, since 1993 and was an assistant on the 2008 ladies’s Olympic group that received gold.
“It’s always fun to do USA, and it’s always an honor,” Thibault stated. “I’ve been doing it since, like, 1993. Tells you how old I am. . . . It’s always rewarding and nothing like representing your country on the international stage and playing the best in the world.”
